Experiential Learning: The Power of True Engagement

In 6th grade my class went to a place called Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center in Yellow Springs, Ohio and that experience shaped my future. I was a pretty good student, but struggled with authority and why my teachers wanted me to do things— and they weren’t particularly interested in explaining it to an 11 year old. For 3 days we hiked through the Glen’s miles of trails, learning about the plants and geology and how to find signs of wildlife. I loved it. I loved that the naturalist assigned to my group asked me what I thought about what I saw and why I thought it. She asked me how I felt in each new situation and she genuinely cared about my answer. This was a new experience for me. For the first time, a teacher consistently spoke with me, not at me. This is not a foreign concept at BCD in 2024, but  in Ohio in 1984, it was earth shaking.

After that 6th grade trip, I was eager to get back out into the woods any way that I could. I wanted to understand the why and the how of ecosystems. The more I learned the more confident I became and the more I wanted to learn. That desire has never left me and those experiences have led me down the path of being an Experiential Educator for the last 30 years.  

Everything about that 6th grade experience is the embodiment of Experiential Learning.  I learned alongside that naturalist, not just from her. When we found a mushroom that she couldn’t identify, she handed us field guides and taught us how to use them. And then she got out of our way and let us stumble through the identification. She celebrated our errors and introduced us to the idea that each mistake we made gave us new information to apply. The journey to the answer was as important as the answer itself. Which was, by the way, the Scaley Inkcap mushroom. 

So, let’s take a moment to think about how the academic world describes the process and pedagogy of an experience like mine. As you consider the bullet points below, can you find examples of each in my story or a defining experience in your own life?

Experiential Learning is a pedagogy…

• That respects that learners bring knowledge from previous experiences and through direct experiences, reflection, analysis, and experimentation absorb new knowledge and understanding
• That prioritizes people, identities, and the environment in addressing justice, diversity, equity and inclusion and often includes specific service to address these topics
• Fosters an appreciation of life long learning and acknowledges that learning can and does happen anywhere

Experiential Learning is not…

• A field trip for a field trip’s sake. 
• Tied to a particular place.  Experiences can be in a classroom, playing field, music performance, outdoor education trip, community service opportunity – anywhere that a mind is engaged.
• Linear in nature. Experiential learning is best described by the Kolb Cycle*. It is cyclical in nature and learners can and do continue to build on their learning throughout their lives.

* Visualization of the Kolb Cycle of Experiential Learning

• Limited to content memorization. Experiential learning requires learners to engage with the skills necessary to grow their ability to reflect at ever deeper levels, think in more abstract ways and develop new ways to actively experiment and engage with content. 
• Always the right pedagogical approach in every situation

In a nutshell, Experiential Learning is active engagement with course materials and applying knowledge to the real world— which puts it in direct alignment with BCD’s mission to broaden students’ understanding of the ever-changing world around them, preparing them to be adaptable, empathetic, and engaged global citizens.

So what does the future of Experiential Learning look like at BCD? 

This is such an exciting question. Right now, it means embracing our commitment to teaching with a lens to this learning process in creating new experiences and reflecting on current curricula. It means actively using the Kolb process ourselves as we go about this work. It means continuing to build upon the great stuff that is already happening at BCD like the Guinea Pig Election, Model UN, the MS Math clock project, Market Day, and our commitment to service learning. Our partnership with Community Foodshare for this school year is a prime example. The Turkey Drive, combined with on-the-ground, in-person service during the school day and in extended day programs is a strong beginning. We will do all of this while remaining committed to trying new things, reflecting on the outcomes, thinking about what we can do better, and trying again. It means that we will all—faculty, students, and families— lean into this framework in building our own ever-evolving definition of Experiential Learning at BCD. I hope you are as excited as I am to grow and learn together.

For more information I suggest the following resources:

Independent School Experiential Education Network Page- if you visit only one, this is it. Watch the Vimeo video.

3 minute video – history of the pedagogy and David Kolb

Simply Psychology Explanation of Experiential Education

Author: Sharon Reiter

BCD’s Director of Auxiliary and Experiential Programming